Saturday, June 11, 2011

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all

I don't want to provide too much verbiage for this post. But, just so you know, Sophie was born on March 8th, 1995. She was a normal infant. In early June of that year, The Troubles began.

One of my oldest and dearest friends recently sent me a jpg file of a birthday card that I sent him many years ago -- sixteen to be exact. Here it is:

Here's the front of the card:



Helen Keller has always had special significance for me for obvious reasons, and the world is filled with brilliant quotes of hers. A while back I posted this photo of Keller because of its uncanny resemblance to my Sophie.


You can see a nearly identical profile pic of Sophie HERE.

Now I'm going to go and pick my jaw up from the floor.
at

23 comments:

  1. Ms. MoonJune 11, 2011 at 8:39 AM

    Really unbelievable.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Joanne RocklinJune 11, 2011 at 9:42 AM

    The resemblance, dreamy yet focused, is uncanny. Both stunningly beautiful in an ethereal way. I was so moved by this post, and the January one, too. Elizabeth, thank you. On with life's adventure, with its many small moments of awe, like the one you and Sophie and Helen gave me this morning. Love, Joanne

    ReplyDelete
  3. T. June 11, 2011 at 10:13 AM

    An astonishing resemblance....

    ReplyDelete
  4. 37paddingtonJune 11, 2011 at 10:14 AM

    life is a daring adventure and sophie is our spirit guide. dear god, the resemblance is startling.

    ReplyDelete
  5. GbergerJune 11, 2011 at 10:16 AM

    It's an amazing likeness...I never drew a parallel between the two of them, but I see what you are saying. Thank you for sharing that quote, too...it's true. Sometimes the "daring adventures" feel like a terrifying roller coaster, but they are better than "nothing at all."
    You always make me think. xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  6. Maggie MayJune 11, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    it's the connections...

    thinking of the 'right befores' of things makes me cry.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousJune 11, 2011 at 12:16 PM

    Helen and Sophie both look like they're looking inwards. The similarity is uncanny.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Maggie WorldJune 11, 2011 at 12:22 PM

    I just read an piece in the New Yorker about learning of your childs serious illness. The author, Alexsander Hemon, described it "the moment that divided our life into before and after. Before was now and forever foreclosed while after was spreading out, like an exploding star, into a dark universe of pain."

    Seemed to sum things up for my experience quite nicely.

    You could write the same letter today, with the same description of her, only some of your activities have changed.

    And I agree the resemblance is amazing, as were Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan

    ReplyDelete
  9. karioJune 11, 2011 at 12:49 PM

    What a lovely gesture to send you that card.

    There are no accidents.

    Love.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Denise Emanuel ClemenJune 11, 2011 at 1:34 PM

    I am sitting here shaking my head in awe.

    ReplyDelete
  11. LeslieJune 11, 2011 at 3:02 PM

    wow. i have something like this in my life... something someone said to me before all the "daring adventures" began. sometimes it comforts me to think about it; sometimes it makes me a little sad.

    i've always greatly admired helen keller, and that quote of hers... that she looked upon her life as a daring adventure. i'd like to be more like that.

    and the resemblance IS uncanny...

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousJune 11, 2011 at 3:18 PM

    Amazing resemblance.

    Love the Helen Keller quote.

    xo

    ReplyDelete
  13. BirdieJune 11, 2011 at 3:21 PM

    Wow, is all I can say. That is amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  14. AJune 11, 2011 at 9:52 PM

    Dear Sophie.

    ReplyDelete
  15. NoanJune 12, 2011 at 5:42 AM

    I read somewhere that signs of synchronicity in your life suggest you are on the right path. Maybe what Sophie has always needed most in life is a mother who believes in daring adventures.

    ReplyDelete
  16. rebeccaJune 12, 2011 at 8:29 AM

    truly!


    (and i love you all...)

    ReplyDelete
  17. UnknownJune 12, 2011 at 4:10 PM

    that gives me chills

    ReplyDelete
  18. erikaJune 12, 2011 at 5:51 PM

    this is pretty amazing. the whole thing

    ReplyDelete
  19. TheresaJune 13, 2011 at 3:29 AM

    This is incredible

    ReplyDelete
  20. SECRET PEPPER PERSON:June 13, 2011 at 4:22 AM

    I have a friend who keeps sending me postcards from the 80's. It's interesting to gaze back in to the past you forgot so long ago. One of my best buddies in High school illustrated a Helen Keller book:
    http://www.christianbook.com/helen-keller-courage-in-the-dark/johanna-hurwitz/9780679877059/pd/877053
    She used her self as the Helen child....she should have used Sophie...

    ReplyDelete
  21. BethanyJune 13, 2011 at 10:16 AM

    Yeah, me too, jaw off the floor.
    Wow.
    What a cool thing too for your friend to do.

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnonymousJune 13, 2011 at 11:50 AM

    What a reminder of the days that were, and the days that will never be. We never know what the future holds, true, but sometimes it would be lovely if the days would just roll on and on smoothly. Thank you for sharing this card, from back then.

    ReplyDelete
  23. UnknownJune 13, 2011 at 8:01 PM

    I am taken with all of this.

    and you, all of you.

    ReplyDelete